The Hidden Hand of God

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, This is what the Lord, the Hebrews’ God, says: Let my people go so that they can worship me.

Exodus 9:1

Pharaoh says he’s going to let the people go, but then refuses.This happens again and again. Each time there are serious consequences for his refusal.They are called plagues.There are ten of them—five of them in today’s reading.

Just as we have often seen, God is the one who is going to win out even though this may take some time.Think about this in your own life, if things are not going the way you want and especially if there is any meanness coming against you.Listen quietly to the voice of God just as Moses and Aaron did.As we have also seen in recent readings, God is in the pains of life, giving us the chance to be like Jesus.God’s divine power is always at work, even when it is hidden. When the pains of life might even get so great that you feel like falling, well then just drop to your knees in worship and prayer, asking the Lord to let you see God’s hand in your life, especially when it might be hidden.

Here is a sample of a seven-syllable breath-prayer
from today’s reading:
Soften my heart with Your love. 8:19
For more information about this creative way to pray,
see Bible Breaths.

Saturdays are dedicated to the Sabbath Torah portions
read in synagogues throughout the world.
This plan follows those traditions that take a third of the portion
over a three year cycle, this year, the second part.
For more about the Torah portions and thoughtful commentaries, visitThe Jewish Theological Seminary.

These Firestarters are from a new edition of The Bible Through the Seasons being developed for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook. You will have the entire program of well over a thousand Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet. More information…